Tennessee Private Colleges and Universities

Independent Colleges and Universities in Tennessee

Tennessee is not just a Mecca for music. It is a Mecca for learning as well. Colleges in the "Volunteer State" proudly boast of their academic and athletic achievement year after year. And why shouldn't they? After all, Tennessee universities manage to graduate leaders of industry, entertainment, politics, and science on a continuous basis. So regardless of what your interests are, there is most certainly a number of universities and programs to suit your needs. If you have the dream, Tennessee colleges will help you get there.

Tennessee private colleges and universities offer a wide range of education programs with degrees and certificates up to the doctoral level, as well as professional degrees such as law and medicine. These Tennessee private schools are diverse in character, academic emphasis, and origins. Some private colleges or schools have a religious affiliation; others are secular. Private colleges and universities may be profit or non-profit institutions. Typically, Tennessee independent colleges or private schools give weight to personal characteristics and activities in addition to considering GPA and test scores. While many Tennessee private schools are considerably more expensive than comparable state institutions, they also tend to offer more generous financial aid packages. Many students have found the actual out-of-pocket cost to earn a degree from a private college in Tennessee to be less than the cost of the state schools to which they were accepted. On the one hand, public colleges are usually less expensive, particularly for in-state residents. They get most of their money from the state or local government. Check out your state's Guide to Residency. Tennessee private colleges rely on tuition, fees, endowments, and other private sources of funding. On the other hand, Tennessee private colleges are usually smaller and can offer more personalized attention (and some believe, more prestige).

Tennessee College Graduate and Undergraduate Degrees

Tennessee Cities Colleges:

Tennessee Private Colleges and Universities

The Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association

For over 200 years, private colleges have been serving the Volunteer state. In 1956, the precursor of the The Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA) was established to promote better cooperation among private institutions throughout the state of Tennessee. TICUA is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of member college presidents and corporate and civic leaders.

TICUA engages its 35 member institutions  to work collaboratively in areas of public policy, cost containment, and professional development to better serve the state and its citizens. The association counts among its membership each independent, non-profit, regionally accredited college and university in Tennessee with a traditional arts and science curriculum.

• American Baptist College, Nashville
• Aquinas College, Nashville
• Baptist College of Health Sciences, Memphis
• Belmont University, Nashville
• Bethel University, Mc Kenzie
• Carson-Newman College, Jefferson City
• Christian Brothers University, Memphis
• Pentecostal Theological Seminary, Cleveland
• Crichton College, Memphis
• Cumberland University, Lebanon
• Emmanuel School of Religion, Johnson City
• Fisk University, Nashville
• Fountainhead College of Technology, Knoxville
• Free Will Baptist Bible College, Nashville
• Freed-Hardeman University, Henderson
• Harding University Graduate School of Religion, Memphis
• Hiwassee College, Madisonville
• John A. Gupton College, Nashville
• Johnson Bible College, Knoxville
• King College, Bristol
• Knoxville College, Knoxville
• Lambuth University, Jackson
• Lane College, Jackson
• Lee University, Cleveland
• Lemoyne-Owen College, Memphis
• Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate
• Lipscomb University, Nashville
• Martin Methodist College, Pulaski
• Maryville College, Maryville
• Meharry Medical College, Nashville
• Memphis College of Art, Memphis
• Memphis Theological Seminary, Memphis
• Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, Memphis
• Milligan College, Johnson City
• O'more College of Design, Franklin
• Rhodes College, Memphis
• South College, Knoxville
• Southern Adventist University, Collegedale
• Southern College of Optometry, Memphis
• Temple Baptist Seminary, Chattanooga
• Tennessee Temple University, Chattanooga
• Tennessee Wesleyan College, Athens
• Trevecca Nazarene University, Nashville
• Tusculum College, Greeneville
• Union University, Jackson
• University of the South, The, Sewanee
• Vanderbilt University, Nashville
• Watkins College of Art & Design, Nashville
• Williamson Christian College, Franklin